The Halfblood King: Book 1 of the Chronicles of Aertu

by Julian Benoit

  Chapter 26

  Sildaenday, Day 5, Haymaking Moon. 8765 Sudean Calendar

  Nearly five weeks had passed since Aleron transformed the rat into a raven and Bob, as the raven was now known, had become something of a mascot for the ship. He lived atop the forecastle and one of the sailors fashioned a nest box for him. When he was first discovered, a few wanted to throw him over the side, but the others would not have it. Some sailors and marines pointed out that ravens are a fortuitous omen and sacred to Corball, as well. Now, nearly everyone on board checked on him and made sure he had food and water. He learned to fly and was oft seen perched in the rigging, or flapping about the air above the ship. Everyone believed that Bob must have stowed away somehow, maybe falling from a nest at the harbor of Corin. Until now, they were too far out to sea for the young bird to find his way to land, so he just stayed with the ship. Today, however, they were approaching land. The Strait of Cordak, which separated the Sudean Mainland from Cordak Island and the slew of other South Sea islands, was dead ahead. Cordak is among the northernmost islands of a large archipelago, stretching from southern Sudea, to the southern sea ice and beyond. The vessel would hug the north shore of the island, keeping to deeper waters for the passage.

  Aleron projected his thoughts to the bird perched atop the highest spar of the main mast. You see the land, don’t you?

  See something, no know what. I born ship, know ship. The raven’s thoughts were much more like language now than the vague impressions Aleron first perceived from the rat’s mind. People nice, I stay ship.

  Aleron projected images of trees, rivers and mountains to the young bird. That is where a raven is supposed to live, not on a boat. You’ll find all of that on the island up ahead.

  What eat there? Food good here.

  He projected more thoughts as to what ravens eat and where he would find it, then added, There’re female ravens over there and you’ll never find one of those on the ship.

  I think it, the raven conceded.

  Two bells later, the large black bird took to the air and winged off toward the now attainable shore off their port side. Someone yelled and everyone above decks stopped to watch Bob leave. “Goodbye Bob! Take care of yourself!” one of the marines shouted.

  “He’s off to find the lady-ravens, I would bet,” Aleron announced, with a grin, relieved that his friend chose the most sensible, if not the easiest option. Several nodded and agreed, saying it must be, since Bob wanted for nothing else aboard the ship. Aleron was impressed by the near human level of intelligence Bob displayed. He resolved to attempt talking to some wild ones, when the opportunity presented itself. He thought it would be interesting to see if they were all as smart as Bob, or if he was somehow unique.

  Later, they would adjust their course to a more westerly one and negotiate the channel taking them around South Cape. In nine or ten days, they were due to round the cape and dock at Cape Town. Aleron and the others looked forward to a day or two on solid ground for a change.

  ***

  Zormat lounged upon a sumptuously cushioned divan, in his private quarters at the royal palace of Kolixtlan. I could get used to this, he thought. Luxury like this did not exist in Arkus, where everything was designed for utility over comfort and beauty, not even for the king. His languid reverie was interrupted by the approach of his first. Karsh entered without knocking, no formalities required between beings that could sense each other’s presence across leagues. “Has my package arrived yet?” Zormat asked his aide.

  “Not as yet, Sire,” Karsh replied, “it is delayed by the need to spirit it across enemy territory, I’m afraid.”

  “Understood, I expected as much. So what business brings you here Karsh?”

  “Sire, it’s the other, what we have been searching for, all these years. We believe we are close.”

  “Zadehmal?” the Arkan King started, “Where?”

  Far to the north Sire, across the ice to the desert beyond. The men who live on the ice worship a power there and we think it may be what we are looking for.”

  “That is news indeed, Karsh, my friend,” Zormat stated, on his feet now, pacing about the room. “My father’s weapon of power will soon bein my hands. With it, we will be able to free him and bring forth his new dominion over Aertu.”

  “Yes Sire,” Karsh replied, “and yours as well, My Liege. Do you have any further instructions, your Grace?”

  “Yes, of course,” he replied, pacing faster, “we must mount an expedition to retrieve it at once. The blockade will be a problem, but not an insurmountable one. We will simply mask our ship for the passage, then rejoin our people in the north.”

  “Your Grace, do you think it is wise to mount an expedition now? We are at the height of winter and the cold will be intense, not to mention the perpetual darkness when we pass into the far north.”

  “Do not question my authority Karsh, or I’ll have you thrown into the sea, with your feet tied to a bloodstone boulder. We will mount the expedition, regardless of the conditions. My father would expect no less from his loyal son and his people.”

  “Yes, Your Grace, I never meant to question your wisdom and I apologize if I made such an impression.”

  “Good, I would not like to think that perhaps your faith is faltering.”

  “Sire, no, of course not,” the First emphatically assured his leader.

  “We will provision ourselves accordingly and there will be no men among our expedition. That will increase our chance of survival.”

  “Sire, do you intend to lead the expedition yourself?”

  “Yes, this time I must. Only I will touch Zadehmal. I do not believe it safe for anyone else to handle the object. My father’s power is too strong and if one is not up to the task, the axe may destroy them. Also, anyone who is up to the task is not likely to willingly relinquish the power, once they hold it.”

  “Understood, Your Grace, when do you wish to depart?” Karsh was still uneasy about mounting a winter expedition into the frozen north, but had fewer reservations, the more Zormat explained his intentions.

  “We will leave as soon as we are physically able,” Zormat replied, stopping his pacing, “and it is up to you, Karsh, as my First, to assure that it is soon.”

  “Yes, Sire and what of the package you are expecting? It will likely not arrive before we are ready to set out.”

  “The package will need to wait until we return. Identify a safe place to store it, where it will keep unspoiled and I will deal with it upon my return. Now got see to provisioning my ship for the voyage ahead.”

  “Right away, Your Grace,” Karsh answered, turning on his heel and exiting the chamber.

  ***

  “Where are we going today?” Eilowyn asked her captors, as she had every morning since her abduction.

  “North,” the shorter one answered, as he had every day for over eight weeks. “We’ll be hitting another border crossing this morning and you know the drill. Open your pretty little mouth and you’ll only get the border guards killed. If we have to go through that again, you might not make it where you’re going as clean and unspoiled as originally planned.”

  Eilowyn did not need reminding of the pair’s killing efficiency. She was on her way to the family’s summer estate to join her mother, sister and her sister’s children, when two horsemen appeared on the road ahead. As her entourage approached, the riders moved to either side of the road, as if to let them pass. Suddenly, crossbows appeared in their hands and before anyone could react, Hans and Simeon slumped dead in their saddles, each with a bolt lodged in their faces. She screamed and the riders fell upon the rest of her train, cutting down the remaining guardsmen and courtiers indiscriminately. Within seconds, all but her were dead. She bolted, but her calm little mare was no warhorse, so the short one soon came alongside and cut to one side, driving her mount into a wide circle. He gained control of her bridle and brought both beasts to a halt.

  Holding his bloodied sword to her throat, he said, “Let’s
not try that again, little lady, unless you would like to join your friends in the afterlife. We’ll get more for you alive, but your head is still worth something, if you prove troublesome.”

  “Mm-hm,” was all she managed to respond, her throat too tight with fear to speak.

  They returned to the scene of the carnage, where the tall one was quickly looting the bodies and wagons, searching for anything of value and assuring there were no survivors. The smell, like that of a slaughterhouse, wafted over her and she doubled over in the saddle, retching. “Hurry up with that. We need to go, now,” her captor shouted to his companion, as he led her to a spot upwind. She regained her composure enough to see the other remount, with only a few items gleaned from the wreckage. Obviously, this was no simple act of banditry. They had come for her.

  Leaving the roadway, they made their way down a narrow path through the woods, to a small clearing. There, another pair of horses awaited, one saddled like unto those of her captors and one pack animal. There, they forced her to change into the travelling clothes that a middle class merchant might wear. The shorter one watched as she changed, so she turned away out of modesty and the hope that he would not notice the pendant she wore on a short silver chain. When she was finished, she turned back to them and he said, “Come, let’s have a look at you.” She stepped up to him, cautiously and he grabbed her arm and stuck his other hand in the top of her bodice, snatching the silver chain and dragging out the pendant. “So, what’s this little trinket your attempting to hide from us, My Lady?”

  “Just a gift, from my betrothed,” she answered meekly, somewhat surprised at his formal address.

  “Aha, the great Aleron, of the Royal Marines. Some say he’s the best swordsman in the kingdom. It would be fun to find out if he really is. Keep it; we’re not here to rob you,” he said, letting the pendant drop. “Take this and bind up your hair.” He handed her a piece of cord, as she tucked the jewelry back in her bodice. After she bound her wavy auburn hair into a loose ponytail, he said, “Now mount up on that horse there. We have to move, or more of your people will die.”

  So it had been, for the past two months, they escorted her north, along paths little travelled, threatening violence if she spoke out of turn to others along the way. They spent most of the journey crossing Ebareiza and for the last week, the northwest corner of Coptia. Now, they had no choice but to use the main border crossing into Castia. The two kingdoms constructed a massive wall along their border, not so much for protection, but to regulate trade between the north and south. She knew where she was going. To the northwest of Castia, was Kolixtlan. She was a hostage, a prisoner of war.

  Chapter 27

  Corballday, Day 15, Haymaking Moon. 8765 Sudean Calendar

  The morning broke bright and clear and the temperature was already rising. Cape Town is situated on the southern coast of the Great Southeastern Desert and it was a week and a half before the Summer Solstice, nearly the height of summer. Aleron stood on the foredeck, the ship pulling up anchor and readying for its approach of the docks. He could tell that it was going to be a hot day. Last night, they entered the bay, too late to approach the docks, so they moored out in the middle of the harbor, with marker lights blazing. The crew was disappointed, as that meant one less night on shore, but the bars and brothels of Cape Town are open whenever there are paying customers.

  “All hands on deck!” The order rang out and was rapidly echoed below decks. No one outside the infirmary was permitted to be asleep during the dawn and dusk shift changes, so sailors and marines soon were boiling out onto the decks, forming up by section. Captain Jorum began speaking, even before the entire crew was formed. “Inside the hour, men, we will be docked in Cape Town for two days and two nights shore leave. You already know that you won’t have the whole two days off. There will be shifts and everyone will land one. The roster should have circulated among the leadership last night, so if you don’t know when your shift is, ask your leader. If anyone asks me directly, you and your whole chain of command will be on shift for the next twelve bells. Have I made myself clear?” A chorus of “ayes” filled the air and he continued, “Anyone who decides not to show up for their shift, will be confined to the brig for the remainder of our stay and will be confined to the ship for the next shore leave. If any of you fools gets thrown in jail while we’re here, you will stay there until they let you go, or we come to get you when we are ready to sail. If you manage to miss your shift, because you’re in jail, guess what; you stay on the boat for our next stop. Do you all understand?” Another chorus of “ayes” as he paused, then, “I know where most of you will be going from here and I have just one thing to say, the same thing I say every time. What is it?” He was answered with a resounding “Wrap your stick!” before he concluded, “That’s right, men. You don’t want to be bringing any presents home to your girl from here. Now, go out and have some fun!”

  The formation broke up as leaders released their sections. Inevitably, several of the men had yet to see the shift roster and proceeded to badger their leaders for information. Those that landed early or late shifts were happy with their lots, while those that landed shifts in the middle of the leave block, were not so pleased. Many tried to wheedle their way into a more favorable slot, with the most successful being those offering cash for a swap. Negotiations were still ongoing throughout the ship, a bell later, when the on-duty crew tossed the tow rope to the tug boat crew that would row them into position at the docks.

  ***

  Later that afternoon, Aleron sat in The Thirsty Lizard, nursing a pint of ale. Barathol and Geldun had already found women and their empty tankards graced the table before him. Suddenly, Gram, one of the marines on shift, burst into the tavern. Red faced and out of breath, he exclaimed, “Al, thank Corball I found you in the first place I looked! Come quick; the Captain needs to see you right away!”

  “What’s going on? I don’t have shift until tomorrow.”

  “It’s nothing to do with your shift, more like trouble at home. A royal courier came looking for you in particular. Aren’t you betrothed to the Stewards daughter, or something? ”

  “Ellie? No, it can’t be her! Maybe her da? I better go!” He jumped up from the table and grabbed a silver piece from his pocket and slapped it on the bar. “That should cover me,” he said to the publicans, before chasing after Gram, out the door and back to the ship.

  Arriving at the ship, he ran up the gangplank and straight to the Captain’s quarters. Gram ran up right behind him and back to his post, for a drink and to catch his breath. Aleron knocked on the Captain’s door, waited for the response and answered, “It’s Aleron, Sir, reporting as ordered.”

  “Enter,” he heard from Captain Jorum, so he opened the door and stepped in. His eyes widened in recognition when he saw Bruno, the courier he met five years earlier, standing beside the Captain’s desk. “Sit down, lad,” Jorum ordered. “Courier Bruno has some news for you and it’s not the best. Bruno?”

  “Aleron, it’s good to see you again, after all these years. I see you went ahead with your plan to become a marine. I bear a message from Steward Gealton. His daughter, Eilowyn, has disappeared. He thinks she was kidnapped.”

  Aleron was stunned to silence for a moment, then he recovered and asked, “When, how?”

  “About ten weeks ago now,” Bruno continued, “She was on her way to the summer house. Her escort was found butchered in the roadway and her horse was wandering loose, but there was no trace of her. The Steward believes she is being spirited to Kolixtlan, as a hostage to be used as political leverage.”

  “Her bodyguards, Simeon and Hans, how did they get through them?”

  “It appeared that they were the first to die, crossbow bolts to the face and then the men at arms were put to the sword, followed by the women.”

  “Arien, her lady in waiting too?” The girl was only fifteen.

  “Dead, along with the others,” Bruno replied, shaking his head.

  The blood drain
ed from Aleron’s face, but then his color returned, along with a determined clench to his jaw. “What does the Steward request of me?” he asked rising from the chair. At that moment, the other two could have sworn that a red glow flickered behind the young man’s silver eyes, but they both figured that it must be from the oil lamp on the Captain’s desk.

  Jorum spoke up this time, “This order, signed by the Steward, states that you are to be temporarily released from my command and you are to make your way to Arundell by the fastest means possible. He must be familiar with your team, because the next part states that any companions you choose shall also be released to accompany you. It’s all signed, sealed and thoroughly official.”

  “I see, Sir,” Aleron responded.

  “Now, since the fastest way to the Capital is by sea, you will simply stay on until we reach Arundell and then you will be released. I assume you will want your pike man and shield man?”

  “Yes Sir, I will want to take Barry and Gel, if that’s possible.”

  “This order right here says it’s possible. Now, were going to have to rush our loading and cut this shore leave short, so you might not be the most popular guy on board, if why we’re leaving gets out.”

  “Sir, if I may, I would prefer to be released from here. I believe I can make my way overland quicker.”

  “That’s not possible,” Bruno interjected. “I came by boat because it only takes seven weeks. To go overland takes over seventeen and that’s if you swap horses every day along the way. Even if you cut straight across the desert, it would take longer. It’s over thirteen hundred leagues, there’s no water and there’s no place to swap out horses. Seven weeks by sea is the absolute fastest you can go from here.”

  “He’s right, lad,” the Captain agreed. “There is no faster way.”

  “Would you say that it’s thirteen hundred leagues, as the crow flies?”